No exemptions for Maori quota

Claire Trevett at NZ Herald reports:

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has signalled he will dump a plan to exempt firms holding Maori fishing quota from a law change which outlaws the use of foreign flagged fishing vessels in New Zealand.

The exemption for Maori quota holders until 2020 was included in a bill to require all fishing vessels to re-flag and register in New Zealand by 2016 after Maori fisheries interests claimed it would be uneconomical to fish the quota if they could not continue to use foreign vessels.

However, Mr Guy has indicated he will pull the Maori quota amendment from the bill.

“It is important for our trading partners to know that we have unequivocally stamped out bad behaviour on our waters. I don’t think the amended bill, as it stands, meets this objective.”

That’s an excellent decision. The priority has to be stamping out the near slavery conditions.

I was quite critical of the select committee changes that would have given some quota holders a further four years before needing NZ flagged ships.